1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for tracking a moveable article, and in particular, to tracking a mail piece through a mail delivery system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Postal customers increasingly demand quick delivery times and expect that mail will be delivered on-time. As a result, overnight and similar forms of mail delivery are increasingly important. In order to meet these needs and expectations, postal services must provide internal systems that monitor operations to identify systemic and individual problems that can occur during mail delivery.
Traditionally, tracking mail involves recording a mail piece's mailing date and delivery date. The mailing date is compared to the delivery date to determine the amount of time the mail piece spent in transit. This method determines the overall time for delivery, but does not permit tracking of mail during the delivery process. If the mail piece does not reach its destination within a required number of days, this method cannot determine what cause the delay.
For instance, the traditional method cannot pin-point bottlenecks that slow down mail delivery. The traditional method cannot locate specific pieces of mail intended for a particular truck to ensure timely loading of the mail piece on the proper truck. The traditional method also cannot indicate when a mail piece is in an area where it should not be. Further, the traditional method cannot indicate when a mail piece is behind schedule or off a planned track. Lastly, the traditional method can not indicate when a mail piece has not moved for an extended period of time.
Accordingly, a need exists for tracking a mail piece as it travels through the mail delivery system.